A Hawk's Cry
by RiverClan's Brambleheart
Summary: Sive and Salem are left holding the bag when Oliza abdicates. They are the first on the very long road to Hai's vision of a Diente and Tuuli Thea laughing together. So how do they get there? This is their story. The story of the young hawk princess being courted in secret by a serpent. The story of the cobra king who's struggling to bring peace to his people. M for potential lemons
1. Chapter 1

_**Alright, this is my first attempt at a Keisha'ra fanfic. I love the series and am saddened at the ending it left with. So this is my continuation of where Wyvernhail left off. So, I really hope you enjoy. Please review! I do not own the Keisha'ra, just a few noncanon characters.**_

**Sive Shardae**

A position I never wanted. Tuuli Thea, the hawk queen to the avians. My neice, the title seems so odd, considering Oliza is my senior, has run off with her she-wolf mate. The wyvern left me and her cousin, Salem, the Diente to the serpiente, holding together a society on the brink of returning to violent war. I don't understand her reasoning any more than the people of Wyvern's Court do. However, I must retain my avian reserve and be strong. Danica, my much elder sister, has retained the position of Tuuli Thea thus far, for which I am grateful for. A Tuuli Thea doesn't rule without an alistair, and after Prentice's attempted assassination of Salem Cobriana, I am left with a bleak future making a choice of a new pair bond.

"Shardae?" A voice from behind me calls. I shake my head, denying the unspoken query to follow me. I was staying in the Court, I didn't need a shadow. I found myself wandering the serpiente side of town. It was relatively festive. Hai had just revived Salem from a coma no one thought he would recover from. The sight of a hawk wandering their side of town made many nervous. I ducked into an alley way between a shop and a home, leaning in the shadows. Here I let my reserve drop. I allowed myself to feel the terror of responsibility. I mourned the loss of my pair bond.

I jumped as a pair of slender, yet muscular arms went around my waist. Despite being raised with serpiente culture in mind, this act was a little more than casual and I found myself blushing. Instead of pulling away from the cool arms, I leaned back into this mystery male. A serpent would not think less of me for my unseemly display of emotions. When I had cried myself out, I heard a simple, soft whisper in my ear.

"Whenever you need me, I'll be here." The cool arms were gone in an instant and by the time I returned myself to enough composure to turn around, the serpent was long gone. I shook my head. How he would know when I was here? I moved easily from the alley and back into the streets.

"Shardae!" a voice called and I turned in time to see several of the Royal Flight landing in their demi forms. "We've been looking everywhere for you. Where have you been?" Andreios, the leader of the Royal Flight. I turned from them.

"I was out for a walk in my home." I responded tartly. I continued walking, tailed by the guards. Serpents glared at the avians and ducked out of their way. I sighed and looked back at them.

"The Tuuli Thea wishes to speak to you." I felt myself nod as I shifted to my golden falcon's form. Letting out a hawk's cry as my powerful wings took me to the Rookery. After finding my feet, I made my way easily through the twisting halls to the main library where most meetings were held. My sister stood near a window and her pair bond, the previous serpiente Diente, Zane Cobriana, was at her side. I announced my presence and saw her jump startled. Salem and Rosalind waited in a corner of the room, speaking lightly to Salem's other cousin, Hai. I nodded in greeting to the trio before turning back to Danica.

"I was informed that you needed to speak to me, Shardae." I said respectfully. Danica sighed, obviously uncomfortable with the formality between family. She spent far too much time with the serpiente.

"Yes, Sive." I, myself, was not unused to both avian formality and serpent casualness, and did not betray any reaction. She smiled softly. "I cannot be Tuuli Thea forever. I don't wish to rush you, Sive, but you cannot take the position from me without an alistair. Not too soon, as I said, I don't wish to rush you. However, I feel it would make our people more comfortable for you to chose an alistair sooner rather than later." I balked. What my sister was saying was the very thing I was just dreading. I simply nodded, allowing no emotion to display. Danica looked between Sive and I. "The next thing I called you both here to discuss is how our lands will be ruled. The serpiente must be ruled by the Cobriana and the avians must be rules by the Shardae, but if you return to your respective lands, then all that we have worked to build with Wyvern's Court will be ruined." She looked at us and we both nodded.

"That being said, I think it would be best for our people if you rule here together." She sighed. "It's never been done to have two ruling families together. However, you two were raised together and I believe that makes all the difference."

Salem opened his mouth to protest. "The serpiente won't take kindly to having their lives ruled by a hawk!" He said, annoyed. Zane sent his nephew a look, which silenced any more of a tirade. "I didn't mean anything against hawks." He backtracked.

"We realize that neither side would like for the other to control it, but that will be what's so new. To blend the cultures, you will have equal power in Wyvern's court. Excepting nest justice, criminals will be held to a standard set for both species by both species. Oliza was such an even blend of both cultures, it was difficult for her to see where each would bend for the other. You two were raised primarily avian or serpent. You do know those limits. We want to begin the end of the segregation." Zane explained. Salem listened intently before he and Rosalind nodded.

"Rosalind and I will debate how best to go about it, with you of course." Salem said. I echoed the response before excusing myself. I flew hard and fast back to my alley, huddled in a corner this time. I was unsure whether I wished for the unknown serpent to find me, but find me he did.

"Crying twice in one day? You betray the fact that you've been raised around serpents." I heard the smooth voice. "Shall I keep you company, Shardae? I ask only that you do not look at me for now." He whispered in my ear. Once more, the near contact made me blush. I tried not to think that this serpent had touched me more in this day than my alistair had in our years together.

"You shall, but serpent, call me Sive." I whisper back. His body, not cool per say, but the temperature of the air around us, pressed against my back. He chuckled lightly.

"Forward for a bird." He chuckled. He shifted slightly. "Would you like to talk about what troubles you then, Sive?" I felt myself smiling softly.

"I know nothing about you, Serpent." I retorted. He chuckled once more before shifting again.

"To spoil the secret this early? I suppose I could tell you something. I am a mamba, born here in Wyvern's Court. I am twenty to your sixteen. Does that suit you enough to speak of your problems, Hawk?" He challenged. I felt myself laughing despite the avian reserve I have been raised to exhibit. "Ahh, you birds are so much lovelier when you do not hide yourselves."

"Danica, my elder sister, is tired of ruling, I suppose. She's making a push for me to decide my new alistair soon. I've just lost Prentice. How can I find someone to know me as he did? Someone who won't retort a call for attention as me 'acting like a dancer'?" I ranted. The words flowed easily from my mouth. "How can they ask a mere sixteen year old to rule a whole culture?" I cried out. A cool hand rubbed my shoulder, not romantically but more than a friendly gesture again.

"It's not fair, little hawk." The mamba said. He continued to rub my back gently. "Responsibility often falls on those who least want it. Just a month ago, you thought the most you had to worry about was being a figure head to the avians. Now you have to deal with ruling them." He said. "It's a lot to make anyone take on so quickly. Salem, despite his self proclaimed hedonistic dancer lifestyle, is still six years your senior. He is far more ready to rule than one young girl like you." I nodded slowly. "I promise that when you are here, with me, you are not heir to the Tuuli Thea, you are just Sive." I leaned back into the cool body, wondering what the avians would do if I announced a serpent as my alistair just as my sister had twenty-one years before. I closed my golden eyes, dreaming of feathers and the open sky.


	2. Chapter 2

_**I decided to write another chapter even though no one's read this yet. I enjoy writing, so I hope someone enjoys my writing as well. I don't own Hawksong or any of the other books. So here it is, enjoy!**_

**Sive Shardae**

A falcon's shriek roused my from my slumber. I found myself alone in the alley with my mystery mamba nowhere in sight. Nicias, one of Oliza's Wyverns of Honor, though I suppose he was now one of mine or Salem's guards, landed before me, looking stern.

"Shardae, you shouldn't disappear like that. Anything could've happened to you." The unspoken "on this side of town" hung in the air around us. I got to my feet, dusting off the soft calf skin pants I wore. I nodded curtly to him.

"My apologies, Nicias. I needed some time to myself. Many things have happened lately." The falcon nodded slowly. Nicias followed as I walked back towards the Rookery, both tall and imposing yet still built into the cliff to make it part of the Earth. I sighed thinking about the mamba I had met. The market was crowded, mostly with serpiente, given that it was later afternoon. A baker assaulted me with her wares, and began making an attempt at gossiping.

"Si- I mean, Shardae, how nice of you to come to the market. So many avians refuse to be here in the afternoons, though many serpents will not be here in the morning either." She began, handing me a cheese bread loaf. "What will happen to Wyvern's Court with our Wyvern gone?" She asked, and I saw several serpiente crowd a bit closer, intrigued by my answer. I leveled my golden eyes on the python, unamused by her attempts at weaseling information from me.

"You will know when every citizen knows what will be the fate of the city. I can assure that Wyvern's Court will not cease to exist." I turned on my heels, bumping into a young man with golden-brown hair and emerald green eyes. I stared at him for a moment, but if this was my mamba, he betrayed nothing. The serpent bowed politely before continuing on his way. I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding and nodded to his retreating back. The baker looked taken aback, calling out to me.

"I'm sorry, Shardae, I didn't mean to offend ... " She cut herself off at the realization that I wasn't truly paying attention. I was looking about slowly, realizing I could ask any serpiente here if they knew a twenty year old, male mamba. I might have a few that were not my mystery serpent, but eventually I would find him. I shook my head. He obviously had no desire to be found by me as of yet. I would resign myself to being patient. I continued my survey of the market place at a leisurely pace. I smiled as I noticed Salem and his mate, Rosalind. Salem waved and smiled brightly, unperturbed by the daunting task we would share.

"Sive!" The cobra called from across the market. I smiled back at him, wondering if they'd come up with any ideas on how best to rule together. The pair wandered over, and Rosalind greeted me softly. While the woman wasn't cold towards me, she was the kindest at the moment. It had been my alistair who put her mate into the coma he'd just recently come out of. Salem, oblivious to the tense atmosphere between Rosalind and I, continued on. "It's rare to see any avians, much less the hawk princess consorting with serpiente." He grinned. A vendor called from behind them. "I know you birds avoid meat, but I also know it's not because anything forbids you." He took my arm, dragging me gently over to the vendor. "This is Kien. Kien, what were you saying was your specialty today?" The vendor, Kien, looked beyond overjoyed to have members of both royal families at his shop. I sent a weak glare to the cobra before turning my attention to Kien.

"Ah, Diente, Naga, Shardae!" He looked as if he were going to faint with excitement. "Today it's a rosemary and chive roasted venison. I'm sure your Naga and the avian princess would both enjoy it." He handed over some to all three of us, and while Salem and Rosalind popped some of theirs into their mouths, commenting on it's taste. I looked between Kien and the venison and slowly placed the delicious smelling morsel in my mouth. I smiled at the man before turning to Salem.

"It was good, Cobra, Kien. Now I believe we actually have some responsibilities to attend to?" Salem looked at petulant as any child being told when to sleep, but agreed. We made our way leisurely back to the Rookery, talking amiably as we went and chatting with serpiente and avian merchants alike. Finally, we were sitting comfortably in the library. I crossed my ankles and watched Rosalind make a similar motion. Salem, for once, looked serious.

"I agree with your sister and my uncle." Salem begun. He paced near a window. If each royal family returns to it's respective lands, Wyvern's Court will cease to exist." He looked at us. "That being said, would it be such a terrible thing to return to being two separate people living in separate lands? There would be no war, but no strife in trying to bend two cultures that are unwilling to bend." Rosalind and I looked at each other in shock.

"Salem!" I cried out as I stood. "This was built with Danica and Zane's dreams in mind, and to protect the love they've found. To go back to how it was would never fix anything. There would still be hatred burning in their hearts. That's better than war, perhaps, but not by much." I retorted hotly, losing my temper. Rosalind nodded at my side, and I was surprised to receive support from that side. "Salem, Wyvern's Court is our home. We cannot abandon it simply because it is the path of least resistance." Salem sighed, collapsing into a chair.

"I'm sorry Sive, Rosalind. You're right. I just don't understand how to make our two cultures one." He put his head in his hands. "Damn Oliza for leaving this to us." He growled. I did not echo his sentiments, but could not help but agree silently. I found my thought returning, not to the issue at hand, but to my mystery serpent in the alley. I stared out the window, seeing that the sun was low in the sky. I got to my feet.

"Salem, I believe we will be better able to think on this after a good night's rest." I murmured. "See you both tomorrow." I shifted forms, sailing easily out the window. I came to reside in my alley once more, and did not have to wait long for the mamba. "Hello." I whispered. He repeated my greeting.

"More troubles, Hawk? I saw you in the market today. You did not seem so troubled as you sampled Kien's venison." He said brightly. I smiled at the memory.

"It was the first time I'd tried such a delicacy. It was quite delicious." I longed to turn to him and look upon his face. "When might I be able to see your face, Mamba?"

He chuckled behind me. "Sive, I would love for you to see my face." I began to turn around, but he held me firmly in place. "I have had many years to look at you. Admire you. You don't know me. I'd like you to come to know me without any preconceived notions. If I could I would've come to you without you being aware of what I was, but that was impossible. So, in answer, you will look upon me when you know me." He answered evasively. I felt a sigh escape my lips.

"Then perhaps you have an idea of how to handle things. Danica and Zane feel that to keep Wyvern's Court alive, Salem and I must rule here side by side, but not as mates." I explained. "Salem is on the verge of abandoning the whole thing and returning to the serpent palace." The mamba moved behind me.

"I see." Was all he had to say. He made a noise of thought. "It is not unheard of for more than one family to rule. The humans actually do it." I made a noise of surprise. "I have studied human culture." I nodded slowly. "Both of you having equal power, and deciding together on laws and problems. I think it will be good for the court. That being said, Salem has to agree." The mamba behind me reasoned. "Your people must also agree." Yet another sigh passed from my mouth.

"That is the problem."

"I do not believe it is a much of a problem as you see. You were raised in serpiente society just as much avian, as was Salem. You can help where he would fail, just as he could be an asset to you."

"Perhaps you are correct." I said, boosted slightly by his words. I found it hard not to look at him. Then, I wondered if I would like what I saw when I turned. "Tell me more of yourself, mamba. How can I know you otherwise?" He chuckled and I felt him shaking against my back.

"Sly Hawklet. What do you wish to know?"

"Do you have a profession, Mamba?" I tried to imagine this unknown man as a jeweler or a craftsman. The image of him in my head just did not sit well.

"I am a dancer. Born and raised in the nest. You do not dance on the ground, I know Hawk. You dance among the air. I wonder if you could dance as well as your sister and neice." I felt myself flush at his words. The thought of me learning the serpiente's dance had me picturing my mother's face.

"No, no!" I cried out, half laughing. "My mother would faint if I ever begun to dance." I explained. He just chuckled.

"Hawk. You care to much for what your mother thinks. I challenge you, learn to dance. Dance, Hawklet." My mystery serpent disappeared from my side once more and I was left thinking on his words. Could I take his challenge? Should I take it?


End file.
